November 2016 Truck Sales – Fall Bonanza

F-Series Dominates, Titan Finds its Footing

Truck sales for November were uniformly rosy for nearly all models, with the import brands showing the greatest year-over-year gains, mostly by virtue of new models replacing models that took a sales hiatus. The benchmark Detroit Three fared fairly well, with the Ford F-Series leading the way in both overall volume as well as percentage gains.

The Colorado and Canyon continue to be strong performers for General Motors and presage a warm reception for the Ford Ranger when it makes its return in 2018. The Nissan Titan is finally moving the sales needle after months of sluggish results and shortage of inventory, likely helped by the availability of the higher-volume 1/2-ton Titan model.

1) Ford F-Series – 72,089, Up 10.6 Percent
If there’s any doubt of the dominance of the F-Series in the fullsize market, those doubts were put to rest with November’s sales results. Sales were up a robust 10.6 percent over 2015, putting it at the top of the heap of domestics.

3) Chevrolet Silverado - 45,280, Up 0.6 Percent
Of the domestics, gains were the most muted for the Silverado, up an incremental 0.6 percent for the month. GM is consciously reducing its fleet sales and incentive spending to impose a level of fiscal discipline. That can be a tough sell to buyers conditioned over decades to expect big seasonal rebates and offers.

4) GMC Sierra - 18,900, Up 14.4 Percent
Once again, the Sierra was one of the top performers among the domestics from a percentage standpoint. Regional popularity in areas that have traditionally been challenging for domestic brands also likely helped the Sierra’s performance.

5) Toyota Tacoma – 15,531, Up 15.3 Percent
The Tacoma once again has a strong month in November. The addition of the TRD Pro model gives the line a halo model. The introduction of the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 finally gives the TRD Pro some real competition. However, it remains to be seen how much that will affect overall sales volume.

6) Toyota Tundra – 9,578 Up 11.5 Percent
The Tundra’s overall sales volume fell to just less than 10,000 units for the month but remains a popular choice with buyers that are Toyota loyalists. Essentially unchanged since 2007 except for a mild refresh in 2014, the Tundra is competitive with the other fullsize models in every area except fuel economy.

7) Chevrolet Colorado – 8,669, Up 39.1 Percent
Colorado’s November sales results were up 39.1 percent for November. Even combined with the GMC Canyon’s sales, the Colorado still has a ways to go to challenge the Tacoma’s dominance of the midsize class. However, its biggest foe may be yet to come with the imminent reintroduction of the Ford Ranger.

8) Nissan Frontier – 5,105, Up 0.1 Percent
The Frontier was up for November, if just barely. Well down from its highs earlier this year of nearly 8,000 units, its sales are still impressive for a truck going on more than a decade without a major redesign.

9) Honda Ridgeline – 3,464, Up 115,367 Percent
The mind-boggling percentage gains the Ridgeline is seeing month after month have to be put in perspective. After a model year hiatus for 2016, the Ridgeline is finally back. For comparison, Honda moved a paltry three units in November 2015.

10) GMC Canyon – 3,410, Up 52.5 Percent
The Canyon was up 52.5 percent for November, giving GM a combined midsize truck sales total of more than 12,000 units. Expect the competition to get even more heated when the Ford Ranger makes a comeback for 2018.

11) Nissan Titan – 3,329, Up 363.0 Percent
The Titan is finally back, as evidenced by its strong performance in November. The positive results were unquestionably bolstered by the introduction of the 1/2-ton model, which while it did not receive the initial publicity buzz of the Cummins-powered XD, will be the much higher-volume model.